An essay towards a natural history of serpents

It lay quiet there, until those Days, the Children of Israel burnt Incense to it. That is, from the days Israel began to commit Idolatry, to the days of Hezekiah; who, to prevent the Growth of that Serpentine Idolatry, brake in pieces the brazen Serpent that Moses had made. 2 Kings xviii. 4.

The Sound of the strange Cures done by the brazen Serpent, soon spread over the forsaken Nations, who, observing how the Wounded were healed by looking at it, conceived it to be a proper Instrument to be their Mediator, and consequently a fit Object for their Adoration, when even the Wounded in Israel, by addressing to its Shadow, were healed.

It is most probable, that the Adoration of Serpents by the Pagans, sprung from these two Fountains,

The Wisdom of the Serpent in Paradise, and the miraculous Cures done by the Shadow of a Serpent in the Wilderness; which were improved by the Devil to secure his Honour and Interest, who wanted not Priests to display the Glories of their Character, to make the Serpent honourable in the sight of his Vassals. From hence, the Egyptians, Phenicians, yea most Nations, did imagine the Serpent to have some Divinity in its Nature, and for that reason (as hinted before) honour’d it with sacred Homage; this the Devil did, with a view to lessen Men’s Esteem for the Almighty Creator.

Hence also some Men of superior Dignity have affected to be esteem’d more than meer Men, making this as an Argument, that they were begot by Serpents, as we observed already, therefore I shall only add, viz.

That Alexander the Great, after he had taken Rhodes, Egypt and Cilicia, addrest Jupiter Ammon to know his Original, for his Mother Olympias had confest to his Father Philip, that Alexander was not begot by him, but by a Serpent of vast Bulk; whereupon Philip was divorced from his Wife Olympias, and Alexander was saluted Son of Ammon, and by Order of the Priests, his Companions were enjoin’d to worship him as a God, and not as a King.

ALEXANDER, when he had conquer’d Darius III. surnam’d Codomannus, and was possest of the Persian Empire, writ to the Grecians, that they should decree him to be a God. Hereupon several Decrees were made: The Lacedemonians exprest their Compliance in this short Decree, viz. Forasmuch as Alexander would be a God, let him be a God. Thus with Laconick Brevity, fashionable among the Lacedemonians, they humour’d and reproved the Pride of their King at once^[427].

VARRO was of Opinion, that all gallant and heroick Men should believe themselves, tho’ falsly, to issue from the Gods ... that upon this Supposition, they might attempt great things with more Courage, and prosecute them with more Ardency; and tho’ the Motive was but imaginary, yet might produce glorious Effects^[428]. When Varro writ this, ’tis probable he had Alexander the Great in his view.

Such is their Opinion of their King in China, that they think he is descended from the Race of some Demi-God, and so adore him accordingly. They believe there is some Divinity in his Blood, in so much that he never marries any but his next Relatives, for fear of staining the Royal Blood^[429].

Among the Antients, Serpents were Emblems of Power; therefore Epaminondas, the brave Theban General, to encourage his Army against a powerful Enemy, bruised the Head of a Serpent before them as a Prognostick of Victory.

Thus King James I. tho’ the Dupe of all Christendom, says a certain Gentleman, yet was the grand Idol of the Court-Clergy. That Pedantry which would have brought a School-Boy under the just Discipline of the Rod, in him was represented by his parasitical Preferment-hunting Ecclesiasticks, as divine Eloquence, and the Inspiration of the Almighty....

Reasons for worshipping hurtful as well as useful Creatures, founded on a Notion of two eternal contrary Principles: They believe God was good, and could not be the Author of moral Evil, therefore fram’d the Ditheistical Doctrine; an Error, espoused by some primitive Christians, confuted by the Sentence past upon the Serpent. Reasons for worshipping different Species of Animals by the Egyptians.

Whence arises the Honour given by Heathens to different Species of Beings, to the noxious and hurtful, as well as to the salutary and beneficent Tribe?

Probably, it might be from their observing the Mixtures of Good and Evil in the visible Creation, when as yet in their infantile State of Knowledge: The reason of this they could not otherwise account for, but by giving into the Notion of two distinct independent governing Powers; the one a good, the other an evil Genius: accordingly they worshipped Creatures that were useful, as being the Ministers of the good Genius; and those that were hurtful they paid Homage to, out of servile Fear, and to ingratiate themselves into their Favour. In the Morning they worshipped the celestial Gods; in the Evening, the infernal: On the Plain they worshipped the terrestrial Gods, on Hills the supernatural; in Grotos and Caves, the infernal.

Hence it is they asserted a Duplicity of Gods, viz. Two perceptive self-existent Beings, one the Principle of Good, and the other of Evil. This Opinion originally sprung from a strong, firm Persuasion, That God was invariably Good, and therefore could not possibly be the Author of the Evil upon Earth. Nor could they otherwise solve the Difficulty about the Entrance of moral Evil into our World, but by supposing another eternal self-existent evil Cause.

Yea, some among the primitive Christians fell into the Error of asserting this Ditheistical Doctrine; that is, two self-existent Principles in the Universe, to wit, a good God, and an evil Demon. Thus the Cerdonites, an heretical Sect, that sprung up in the second Century, held there were two Gods; one, the Author of all good, the other, of all evil Things. So the Marcionites held two contrary Gods; and in the third Century, the Manichees did the same.

Perhaps, this might be one reason why God past Sentence upon the Devil in the Serpent, in the presence and hearing of our first Parents, viz. to prevent the Error of imagining that there was any Principle of Evil, which was independent upon the Almighty. The Sentence past upon Satan in the Curse upon the Serpent, was a Conviction to Adam and Eve of his Dependency upon the Almighty Creator, before whose Tribunal he now was constrained to appear, to receive the Sentence merited by those, who make a Lye, and tempt their Fellow-creatures to rebel.

REASONS about the Adoration of different kind of Animals by the Egyptians.

If you ask, that if they worshipped a Serpent, why did they pay religious Honours to so many other Beasts? I answer, This monstrous Idolatry begun in Egypt, and the first occasion for it seems to be this, viz.

OSIRIS, a certain King of Egypt, who reign’d with great Equity and Mildness, having divided his Kingdom into several distinct Provinces, appointed Presidents over them, and in their Banners he placed the Figures, or Pictures of certain Animals, that bore some Similitude to the Peculiarities of those Countries, over which they were to preside: Thus to the Governor, whose Land was proper for Tillage, he design’d an Ox in his Standard, to which the Inhabitants of that Place paid a particular Veneration, which in process of time was worshipped by the whole Nation, for its Usefulness, and as the Symbol of Agriculture: Hence the Image of Osiris is set off with Horns.

The golden Calf which Aaron made in the Wilderness, and the Calves set up by Jeroboam to be worshipped in his Kingdom, were an Imitation of the idolatrous Adoration, which the Egyptians paid to their Bull Apis.

That part of the Country, in which was abundance of Water, the King set a Crocodile (an amphibious Animal) in his Banner, that was to govern there, which was had in high Veneration, especially in the City of Mira; and at last the Crocodile was worshipped all over Egypt.

Where the Country abounded with Wood, a Dog was fixt in the Governor’s Standard, to which the Egyptians gave no little Veneration, especially Sportsmen ... as the Poet observes^[430].

That which gives some colour to this Partition of Osiris’s Kingdom, is, “that God ordained very near the same thing to be observed in the Encampments of the Israelites, when he divided the twelve Tribes into four Bodies, and allotted to one of the three Tribes, belonging to each Body, the Figure of an Animal to be placed in the Banner: Thus, that of Reuben carried the Figure of a Man; that of Judah, a Lion; that of Dan, an Eagle; and that of Ephraim, an Ox^[431]”.

After this manner the Egyptian Monarch did place in their Banners the Figures of certain Animals, which by degrees were usher’d into their Religion and Temples. N. B. These Banners thus painted with different Animals, were fixt upon Poles, between their several Provinces, by which their Bounds were determined. Semiramis, being conquered by Staurobates, Antiquity feign’d she was changed by the Gods into a Dove, the Bird of Venus, which is the reason why the Dove was worshipped by the Babylonians, and why they gave it in their Ensign.

I Conclude this Part with some Instances, that are given of the Sottishness of Pagans in what they called religious Worship, which indeed is almost incredible, if they were not common, and well attested.—— The Egyptians did not only worship variety of Beasts, but also the Figures of them, as the Representatives of their Gods: Each City and District entertain’d a peculiar Devotion for some particular Beast or other, in honour of which they built Temples; yea, every one of the Pagan Deities had his own Beast, Tree and Plant consecrated to him. Thus the Pigeon was consecrated to Venus; the Dragon and Owl to Minerva; the Eagle to Jupiter; the Cock to Æsculapius and the Sun. This, says Jurieu, is the true Origin of the Egyptian Idolatry. Ibid. Who adds, The Egyptians assign’d to their Gods certain Animals, as their Representatives, and being introduced into the Temples, as the Images were in some Christian Churches, they at last began to worship them. This points out the Impiety of admitting any symbolical Representations of Divinity into Places of publick Worship.

Nothing more monstrous than the Divinity of the Pagans; their Gods were innumerable. Every thing on Earth, in the Sea, in the Heavens, yea, and in Hell, had their peculiar Gods. If Egyptians, who past for the wisest of Mortals, paid religious Adoration to meer Animals, not only to Serpents, but Apes, Wolves, yea, Dogs, Cats, ... and to Vegetables, as Onions, Garlick ... what shall we think of stupid Nations, who had no Claim to Wisdom?

Even in Athens (that celebrated Fountain of Light) were more Idols than in all Greece; yea, so numerous were their Idols, that they had almost as many Gods as Men^[432].

STRABO, Procopius, and Ben Jonas say, the antient Persians kept and worshipped their perpetual Fire on Mount Albors, a Branch of Caucasus. The Japonese worship the Devil, and the Head of their Religion is called Dair, whom they worship as a God. Atlas.

I Should rather think the Persians ador’d the supreme God, under the Image of Fire, by reason ’tis Fire gives Motion to every thing in Nature, and therefore they made it an Emblem of Divinity.

The Hebrews kept up the holy Fire in the Temple, and the Vestals were appointed to keep the sacred Fire of the Romans.

VULCAN was worshipped among the Antients, and particularly the Egyptians, as the Inventor of Fire.

The People of Egypt exceeded most Nations in depreciating Divinity by gross Superstitions and Idolatry; they did not err in worshipping Mortals only, but they gave Reverence to Beasts, Birds, Insects, Winds, Earth, Water, Air, Fire, Plants, &c. whom Rhodius Anaxandrides, one of themselves, derides in this manner:

Thus Juvenal, another Heathen Poet, ridicules their religious Fooleries:

The Images of the Gods, says Seneca, are worshipped; these they pray unto and adore, and while they greatly admire them, at the same time despise the Workmen that made them^[435]. Which also Sedulius their Poet scoffs at, saying,——Who worship Vanities ... despise their own Maker ... fear the Works of their own Hands.... What Madness! that Man should ugly Shapes adore, of Bulls, Birds, Dragons, the vile Half-Dog, or Half-Man, on Knees for Aid implore^[436].——

Yet among the Nations were some who thought it Impiety to represent their Gods by Images, as the Persians, Indian Brachmans, &c.^[437] Yea, the Romans, for 170 Years, would not allow Images in their Temples, observing the Law of Numa. It was Tarquinius Priscus that followed the Vanity of the Grecians (a Nation of all others, excepting Egypt, most deluded by the old Serpent) set up the Images of their Gods, which even the Learned Varro bewailed and condemned. The Mahometans have a perfect Aversion to Images. The Jews hate all Images, will not allow any in their Houses, much less in Places of Worship. But to proceed:

The apostate Indians worship both Gods and Devils, over which they acknowledge a Supreme, who sends forth other Deities as his Deputies; which they think to be the Souls of good Men; and Devils, the Souls of the Wicked.... They imagine the Sun and Moon to be Gods; their Idols are represented as Monsters of the kind^[438].

“In the Kingdom of Pegu in the East, the People are exceeding superstitious, and scruple not to worship the Devil, whom they reckon the Author of Evil; as they do God, of Good: And in all Calamities, their first Addresses are to the evil Spirit, for Deliverance; and they make Vows to him, which they perform upon their Recovery, with the Assistance of their Priests, whom they call the Devil’s Father, and he directs them to make sacred Feasts with Musick.” Many of them run about in the Morning with a Torch in one Hand, and Rice in the other; pretending to give the Devil his Breakfast, that he may not hurt them that Day. Others at their Meals, throw part of what they have over their Shoulders, to feed him, before they eat any themselves. Ibid. p. 662.

At Tavay in that Country, they replenish their Houses with Victuals, and leave them for three Months, that the Devils may dwell and feed there, and be favourable all the rest of the Year. ibid. They have a sort of Monks called Talapoins, who endeavour to root out this Devil Worship, but without effect.

The Aruspices, were an Order of Priests among the antient Romans, who pretended to foretell Events, chiefly by inspecting the Entrails of Beasts killed in Sacrifice ... Birds, and celestial Appearances. Cato, who was one of the Augurs, conscious of their impious Politicks, used to say, He wondered how one Priest could look at another without laughing in his Face. These Augural Priests made a College, or Community; they bore an Augural Staff or Wand, called Lituus, made in form of a Crozier, or a Bishop’s Staff, or Shepherd’s Crook, as the Ensign of their Office and Authority—— And what is most ridiculous is, that no Affair of Moment could be resolved upon, without first consulting these holy Cheats; and their Advice, be what it would, was by a Decree of the Senate appointed to be exactly and religiously observed. Ornithomancy, or Divination by Birds, was, among the Greeks, the same with Augury among the Romans.

At Angola and Congo in the East-Indies, wooden Idols, resembling Negroes, are erected in the midst of their Towns, which they daily worship. ’Tis their Belief they are never sick, but when their Idols are angry with them; therefore to appease them, they pour at their Feet the Wine of Palms. They wash, paint, and new cloath their Dead, and bury with them Meat, Drink, and some of their Goods, and sprinkle the Grave with the Blood of Goats. Their Priests are in such high Esteem, that they think Plenty and Famine, Life and Death, are in their power^[439].

The old Inhabitants of Virginia believed many Gods, but one principally, who made the rest ... and that the Woman was made before the Man, and propagated by the Help of one of the inferior Gods. The Natives are Anthropomorphites, giving to their Gods the Forms of Men.... When they go abroad, they carry their Gods about with them, and in Matters of Doubt ask Counsel of them. Much of their Devotion consists in howling and dancing about Fires, with Rattles in their Hands. Quære, Whether this Custom be not the Original of Castanets or Snappers in Dancing^[440]?

Another Instance of monstrous Degeneracy, we have among the Phenicians, who offer’d yearly Sacrifices to Saturn of young Infants; and in the Temple of Venus, practised not only Whoredom, but the most unnatural Sin of Sodomy also; yea, by the Laws of their Religion, were bound to prostitute their Daughters to Venus, before they married them: In their Temple the Women who refused to be shaved, were obliged to yield up their Honour to Strangers for one day.

In the Country, now called New Spain, the old Inhabitants would neither eat nor drink, till they had cast towards the Sun, some part of their Food; nor would they smell a Flower, without throwing up in the Air some Leaves of it, thereby acknowledging the Gods to be their great Benefactors: Tho’ this be ridiculous, yet having an Air of religious Gratitude, it is commendable. Among other Idols ador’d at Mexico, they had one called Vitziliputzli, placed in an azure colour’d Chair, with Serpent’s Heads at each Corner.

Yea the Pagans, to authorize their own Crimes, and justify their vicious Lives, have constituted licentious, drunken, vicious Gods, &c. Instances of this kind we have in their religious Institutions, as the Saturnalia of the Romans, which were Feasts sacred to the God Saturn: This Feast was observed in December, at first kept for one day, then for three days, and afterwards for seven days. So sacred was this Festival, that while it lasted, no Criminals were to be executed, no War to begin.... And yet at the same time, a Sanction was given to universal Debauchery; all Rules of Virtue and common Decency were intirely banished, and all things run into a wild Scene of Distraction and Lewdness, and all this under the Umbrage of doing Honour to their Gods^[441].

The same Game was acted in the Lupercalian Feasts, instituted in honour of the God Pan (under the shape of a Goat) whose Priests, on the Morning of the Feast, ran naked thro’ the Streets, striking the married Women they met, on the Hands and Belly with Straps cut out of Goats Skins, which was held an Omen, promising Fruitfulness, and happy Deliveries.

I shall only add the Bacchanalian Feasts, celebrated in honour of Bacchus, the God of Wine, and Master of the Revels; sometimes called Orgia^[442], from a Greek Word that signifies Anger and Rage, because in the Celebration of it, People acted in so raging and furious a manner, as if they had been absolutely distracted. These religious Feasts were not only encumber’d with a great number of Ceremonies, but attended with most notorious Dissoluteness; for Men and Women met at them, all naked, except their Heads and Hips, that were shaded with Vine Leaves.

The Women, who were installed Priestesses, during this Feast, ran thro’ the Streets, and other Places, cover’d with Tyger’s Skins, Scepters in one Hand, and Torches in the other, howling and roaring out the Praise of Bacchus, with Hair dishevell’d, dangling about their Shoulders. They were call’d Mœnades from their Madness, Thyades from their Rage, Bacchæ from their Intemperance.

The Poets tell us, that in the Bacchanalian Train, were a Croud of Nymphs and Naiades, a sort of Heathen Divinities; some crown’d with Ivy, their Hair loose, and intermix’d with Snakes, clothed with the Skins of Beasts, and girt about with large Serpents, and running frantick in the Woods and Mountains.

In short, their sacred Games, Festivals, and Sacrifices, were little more than drunken Banquets, nocturnal Revels, tumultuous Dancings, all wild, ridiculous and extravagant.